Sarah Justine Fuller, Notary Public

Sarah acts as a Notary for both individual and business clients. Ordinarily those clients will either have been advised or will otherwise be aware that they require the assistance of a Notary Public, but generally speaking a Notary Public provides independent proof of documents, transactions and facts ordinarily to satisfy Authorities or institutions outside of England and Wales.

What the work involves - Careful checking, drafting and dealing with such matters as providing notarised copies, attesting the signature and execution of documents and authenticating execution of documents, certifying copies of passports and other documents, attesting Powers of Attorney, sponsorship documents, certifying copies of academic qualifications, Affidavits relating to marriage, foreign adoption applications, administering Oaths, Affidavits and Statutory Declarations and foreign jurisdictions.

Legalisation / Apostille - Sarah can also assist with applying for legislation of documents at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (otherwise called obtaining an Apostille) and dealing with requirements of foreign embassies.

Costs – Once Sarah has been able to ascertain what you require she will be able to give you either a fixed fee or estimate of her costs before any appointment.

What you can do to help - So that Sarah can act as efficiently and cost effectively as possible for you it will help hugely if:

• You provide as much information as possible when you make the initial enquiry;
• You provide as much documentation as you can in advance of your appointment (including, for example, any communication you have had from any foreign lawyer or institution relating to your matter);
• You check all your documents to ensure that they detail your information accurately.

• You bring all original documents to the appointment;
• You bring up to date accurate identification documents with you such as your current passport, drivers licence, current (within the last 3 months) Bank statement or gas, electricity or Council Tax bill or credit card bill – please note that Sarah will require identification documents to a very high standard;
• You check your identification documents to ensure their accuracy and that the information in them matches that in the document(s) you want notarised.

Generally speaking Sarah takes the view that she can never have too much information in advance of an appointment!

Your Appointment - As Sarah will need to check the information and documentation carefully your appointment will not simply be a 5 minute rubber stamping exercise. This is not the role and responsibility of a Notary. You should therefore be sure you set aside enough time to be able to deal with all the matters that Sarah will require. After you have met, you may be asked to wait in the waiting room whilst the documents are finalised including sewing attachments together, sealing documents and ensuring proper completion of the documentation.

Apostille/legislation - Sometimes it is a requirement of the foreign jurisdiction to ask for a document to be legalised or an Apostille to be applied. That particular work is carried out by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office at their legislation office here in Milton Keynes. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office basically check that it is Sarah’s signature and seal on the document. There is a fee payable to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for this service. In addition, sometimes the foreign jurisdiction embassy is also required to provide their seal or signature.

Sarah's work as a Notary Public is is impartial and independent of the work she does as a solicitor at Austin Ray, Solicitors Milton Keynes. Her notarial work is regulated by the Faculty of the Archbishop of Canterbury. Sarah is a member of the Notaries Society of England and Wales.